Dance Magazine articles from February 2006

Dance Magazine archives from February 2006

Curtain up.(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... This issue is about breaking the mold. Mikhail Baryshnikov has reinvented himself several times in his long and stellar career. This time he defies expectation by developing an inter-arts center, placing dance among the other arts--film,...

Guys dolled up.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I really enjoyed "Fear of Men in Tights" in the November Gender issue. I agree with Kathy Valin that men in ballet are thought to be sissy and weak, but in reality must be very strong and muscular to perform lifts and other complicated...

For the love of dance.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I was so pleased to see your "Teacher's Wisdom" on Stanilas Issav. (Oct. 2005). I took classes with him a few years ago and have never forgotten what an inspiration he was as a teacher and lover of great dance. What a terrific service you are...

Fred & Ginger: who made the magic?(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I was surprised to read in "Dance Magazine Recommends" (Dec. 2005) that "Astaire, a professional dancer from the age of 7, did all of his own choreography, and he was exacting about corrections as the most persnickety repetiteur." Astaire...

Energy drinks: good for you?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... Since I struggle to keep my weight down, the magazine's health and fitness coverage is of particular interest. I've been using energy drinks with good results, so I wanted to respond to Suzanne Martin's column, "Energy Drinks: Extreme Move"...

He-male.(Kings of the Dance to be performed by Angel Corella, Johan Kobborg, Ethan Stiefel, and Nikolay Tsiskaridze)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Their majesties are named Angel Corella, Johan Kobborg, Ethan Stiefel, and Nikolay Tsiskaridze. They will perform solos, a new quartet by Christopher Wheeldon, and, on successive evenings, Roland Petit's eerie le Jeune Homme et la Mort, in...

Bold face.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... "Your face should be as vivid as your body," Sono Osato told the young women of the ABT Studio Company as they applied makeup in front of the mirror. Osato performed with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as well as on Broadway and in Hollywood. Here...

The count is back!('Dracula')(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal's dark and seductive ballet Dracula was a hit with audiences and critics but cancelled in 1999. The company invited the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to perform the gothic ballet in November.

Stomp out war/shake it for peace.(Jane Goldberg )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... In her recent New York show, Belly Tap for World Peace, Jane Goldberg came up with a "theory" that Jewish people created tap dance. Goldberg, a tap dancer and dance writer who took up belly dancing to shift her center of gravity after a knee...

Save dancers' dreams.(Broadway Dance Center)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Dancers and teachers rallied in front of Broadway Dance Center in November to drum up support for their landlord problems. After more than 20 years of training dancers from around the world and providing Broadway with a fresh source of talent,...

Tambourine woman.(The Times They Are A-Changin)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Twyla Tharp's new show, The Times They Are A-Changin" set to Bob Dylan's songs, opens at The Old Globe in San Diego Jan. 25. According to Jenn Colella, one of the leads, the story is about a "twisted circus with a corrupt and evil ringmaster....

Back to Baghdad.(dance performances)(Sacramento Ballet)(Nevada Ballet)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Why the sudden spate of Scheherazades? Kathryn Posin's remake of the Fokine original is being performed by three companies: Milwaukee Ballet (which commissioned it in 2003) in February, Sacramento Ballet in March and April, and Nevada Ballet in...

America's ballroom challenge.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... In a new twist (and turn) on an old classic, PBS and the creators of Championship Ballroom Dancing go behind the scenes while the 24 top professional ballroom dance couples compete for the championship of each major style of competitive...

Gypsy/trad/modern.(VITAL SIGNS)(Flamenco Festival USA)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Throughout February, Flamenco Festival USA crisscrosses North America, from Miami to Montreal, Portland to New York. This year, artistic director Miguel Marin highlights three flamenco approaches: the pure gypsy dance of Antonio el Pipa and...

Glamorous gala.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Lucia Lacarra and Cyril Pierre from the Munich Ballet (right) are just no of the gorgeous dancers slated to dance in the 2006 Stars of the 21 st Century Gala at the New York State Theater on Feb. 13. Some of the others are Desmond Richardson...

In the embrace of the Tango: Julio Bocca brings his sizzle to the touring Boccatango.
February 1, 2006... Few choreographers have pursued the tango's possibilities as boldly as Argentina's Ana Maria Stekelman. She is described as "a box of surprises" by Pedro Calveyra, who has danced with Stekelman's company, Tangokinesis, since its launch in 1992....

Ballet Internationale.(Of Note)(closes completely due to bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... After 32 years BALLET INTERNATIONALE; Indianapolis' only professional ballet company, folded abruptly in November. According to board president Pat Burley, the organization, which had a $3 million budget, had incurred $1 million in accumulated...

The New York Choreographic Institute announced a $5 million gift from the Irene Diamond Fund.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The NEW YORK CHOREOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE announced a $5 million gift from the Irene Diamond Fund. A new Fellowship Initiative will provide company grants to create programs encouraging the development of classically based choreography. The...

Tina Ramirez.(Of Note)(receives award)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... TINA RAMIREZ, artistic director of Ballet Hispanico, received a 2005 National Medal of Arts.

AGMA restructures its medical coverage.(American Guild of Musical Artists )
February 1, 2006... Last September 1, the American Guild of Musical Artists enacted revisions to the coverage guaranteed by its Health Fund Plan A, which serves 750 union members. The co-pay for network physicians' visits increased on Jan. 1 from $15 to $20, and...

Colorado ballet fires longtime director: Colorado Ballet's production of The Sleeping Beauty.(Martin Fredmann)
February 1, 2006... Martin Fredmann's 19-year tenure as artistic director of the Colorado Ballet ended abruptly in October, when the Board of Trustees of the struggling Denver company dismissed him. The company was in the middle of its season, opening The Sleeping...

Dance notation bureau in crisis.(Dance Notation Bureau )
February 1, 2006... In a startling revelation that it had no money, the board of the Dance Notation Bureau laid off its five-member staff on Oct. 26. After 20-plus years of service, labanotators Sandra Aberkalns and Leslie Rotman, whose work is the heart of DNB,...

A festive 20th for career transitions.(career transition for dancers 20th anniversary gala, That's Entertainment)
February 1, 2006... It's impossible to settle on the most enjoyable afterimage from Career Transition For Dancers 20th anniversary gala, That's Entertainment. Was it the mix couple undulating while their feet were affixed to skis? A shirtless Desmond Richardson in...

Plisetkaya's 80th.(Maiia Mikhailovna Plisetskaia's 80th birthday)
February 1, 2006... Few evenings of dance have been as deeply anticipated as the last night of the weeklong 80th birthday tribute to Maya Plisetskaya, one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century. Thousands of admirers gathered outside Moscow's Kremlin...

From Bavaria to Brooklyn.(Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Leichter )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Collaborating with the Brooklyn Philharmonic on Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, choreographer Nicholas Leichter shakes up a classic work with movement motifs that could just as easily be found at a rave or disco as on the pages of an illuminated...

Choreographing his own cosmos.(Todd Williams)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Four years with New York City Ballet. even years dancing in the Stephen Petronio Company. What does Todd Williams, who moves like a calligraphy master's brushstroke, do in phase three of his career? He goes in search of his artistic voice....

Wilson tells the tale.(Reggie Wilson)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Tale: Npinpee Nckutchie and the Tail of the Golden Dek--with its mysterious, vaguely folkloric moniker--is unmistakably the handiwork of Reggie Wilson. But forget his reputation as a researcher of the African diaspora; that title should be...

Dancefest! The Dance Magazine Awards break ground.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Savion Glover bowing down to Jimmy Slyde said it all. The awards event in November was about honoring our heritage, recognizing our history, and giving thanks to our personal dance deities. Judith Jamison, in her presentation to Donald McKayle,...

Tips to avoid a compression injury.
February 1, 2006... The human body is wondrously made. Still, repeated stress and sustained pressure will take a toll. Dancers are often susceptible to compression injuries, which typically occur in feet, legs, hips, and lower backs. They tend to come from the...

Advice for dancers: former New York City Ballet dancer Linda Hamilton, Ph.D., is a lecturer, a psychologist in private practice, and the author of Advice for Dances (Jossey-Bass). She has been offering advice to Dance Magazine readers since 1992.
February 1, 2006... I'M AT THE ADVANCED LEVEL IN MY DANCE SCHOOL AND WANT VERY MUCH TO BE A PROFESSIONAL DANCER. I KNOW I NEED TO WORK HARD TO GET A JOB IN A DANCE COMPANY. HOW DO I BECOME SPECIAL? I DON'T WANT TO BE A MEDIOCRE DANCER. --DETERMINED,...

Misha's world: Baryshnikov dreamed of a way to unite all the artistic disciplines. His new arts center makes it a reality.(Mikhail Baryshnikov)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... There's nothing about the drab, industrial-style gray building to alert passerby to the possibility that art may be incubating inside. In fact, passersby are scarce around 37th Street and Tenth Avenue in Manhattan--the traffic is mainly...

Modern times: Salt Lake City's Repertory Dance Theatre has created a living museum of classic 20th century choreography.(Rockefeller Foundation )(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... When the Rockefeller Foundation approached Linda C. Smith about the possibility of establishing a modern dance company in Salt Lake City, she was stunned. The idea of Rockefeller seed money underwriting a salaried professional repertory...

A flock of new Swan Lakes: few ballets have proved so tempting to choreographers--or so challenging.(Dance Review)
February 1, 2006... The plot of Swan Lake turns on a rite of passage: Prince Siegfried, reaching the age of 21, must choose a bride. The task of choreographing and performing Swan Lake is also a rite of passage. For companies, artistic directors, and principal...

Swan songs: Dance Magazine went to some of the ballerinas who are known for their portrayals of Odette/Odile. We gathered their experiences and advice for young dancers just starting to learn the part--and for those who dream of performing it someday.
February 1, 2006... YUAN YUAN TAN SAN FRANCISCO BALLET Before the performance, I just calm down, get quiet, and visualize my bird. I try not to think too much because it will mess me up. Onstage it just happens, because of the muscle memory. But you have...

Star glow: PNB ballerina Louise Nadeau imbues her roles with passionate energy.(Pacific Northwest Ballet)
February 1, 2006... There is a moment in Limon's The Moor's Pavane when Louise Nadeau, as the Wife, realizes she's been betrayed. Her hands wrap around her face. As she slowly turns to the audience, Nadeau conveys the terror, the vulnerability, and the...

Deep in the Heart of Dixie: New South meets neo-classicism at North Carolina Dance Theatre.(Organization overview)
February 1, 2006... A dozen high-stepping, dress-swooshing dancers cover he stage. Feet pluck and brash at the floor in time with banjo picking bluegrass music. A quick turn and the male dancers in the group ascend into soaring split jumps while their female...

Faith, hope, charity, & dance: choreographer Jane Weiner melds dance and activism at her Houston Center.
February 1, 2006... With her back to the audience, Jane Weiner bourees across the stage in a part-homage, part-pun on Giselle's second act. She re-enters with a grandiose string of technical feats ending in a tragic splat on the floor. Weiner nails the essence of...

Catch their eye!--Great audition looks!(DM STYLE)
February 1, 2006... Choosing what to wear to an audition is as nerve-wracking as the tryout! Have fun, but keep in mind that you are creating an impression from the moment you walk in the door. "How you approach the way you dress is how you are going to approach...

Magazine Dance auditions guide 2006.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... You can have tons of talent, great technique, and artistry, but if you are not auditioning, the company or school that wants you is never going to know! DANCE MAGAZINE's Auditions Guide 2006 helps you gel inspired and get out there. It...

What are really thinking? Pet Peeves, biggest mistakes, winning moves.(Auditions guide 2006)
February 1, 2006... DANCE MAGAZINE asked eight influential auditors to tell us what they wish all auditioning dancers knew. You'll be surprised to find out what turns them off and what they say will land you the gig. Joan Myers Brown Founder, executive...

Don't take "no": professionals on how--and why--persistence pays off.(Auditions guide 2006)
February 1, 2006... To achieve and sustain a fulfilling career as a dancer you need talent, technique, nerve, and determination. Learning how to push past the rejection and disappointment that undoubtedly lie ahead, dig deep inside and find your drive. Then put...

Hang in there: when the going gets tough, try these tips.(Auditions guide 2006)
February 1, 2006... The "God I hope I get it" stress of auditioning can sometimes take an emotional toll. To help you deal with the pressures that crop up pre and post audition, DANCE MAGAZINE talked with psychologist Dr. Harlene Goldschmidt, Ph.D....

Breaking in on Broadway: Karla Garcia hot foots it to the big time.(Auditions guide 2006)
February 1, 2006... With five years of auditioning for Broadway behind her, Karla Garcia attributes her first great success to two things: a relaxed mentality and a great outfit. "It's a mental game, so I told myself it's not life or death, only another audition....

Employment.(Auditions guide 2006)
February 1, 2006... UNITED STATES ALASKA Alaska Dance Theatre Pre apply. Audition includes: Ballet, pointe, modern, prepared solo. Fee: None. Bring: Resume, head shot, dance photo, 3 recent references. Audition videos accepted: No. 90Z277.9591...

Training.(art schools)(Directory)
February 1, 2006... UNITED STATES ALABAMA Alabama School of Fine Arts Audition dates: Feb. 1, Birmingham AL. Pre apply. Audition includes: Ballet, pointe, modern, partnering. Fee: None. Bring: application. Audition videos accepted: No. 205.252.9241...

The sound of music: new CDs for dance class.(DANCE MAGAZINE RECOMMENDS)(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2006... The first modern dance class I accompanied was taught by Kozuko Hirabayashi, at Kirkland (now Hamilton) College in 1970. Her instructions to me were, "And." Somehow I figured out what to do. Subsequently, I studied dance at the Paul Sanasardo...

Flight lessons: as aerial dance soars in popularity, practitioners begin laying down a curriculum for training in the form.(TEACH-LEARN CONNECTION)
February 1, 2006... Training in aerial dance is still relatively new. When Nancy Smith, founder and artistic director of Frequent Flyers Productions and founder of the Aerial Dance Festival in Colorado, wanted to add aerial work to her repertoire, she locked...

Remembering a Beloved Teacher.(Bernice "BJ" Virginia Johnson)(Obituary)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Remembering a Beloved Teacher Bernice "BJ" Virginia Johnson, Nov 22, 1911 to Oct 7, 2005 Former chorus girl at The Cotton Club, featured dancer at The Apollo Theater, cast by Agnes de Mille on Broadway in Black Ritual and Swingin' the...

LaVaughn Robinson.(tap dance teacher)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The room was brimming with tap dancers as LaVaughn Robinson told stories--sometimes wry, sometimes whimsical, sometimes razor-edged-about plying the art of jazz tap dance on street corners in Depression-era Philadelphia. He had taught the...

"Dance IS" community.(STUDIO TALK)
February 1, 2006... Across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco is a broad suburban expanse referred to as the East Bay and anchored by Berkeley and Oakland. In 2001, the folks at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts decided the widely dispersed East Bay dance...

Canada's National Ballet School expands.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Canada's National Ballet School opened the first phase of an ambitious $80 million [CDN$100 million] expansion project November 30. The 46-year-old school, headed by Mavis Staines, is training ground for many who later joined National Ballet of...

New release.(Third Space: When Learning Matters introduced by Arts Education Partnership)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Third Space: When Learning Matters, from Arts Education Partnership, tells how 10 schools serving economically disadvantaged populations used the arts to enhance learning. "The book suggests an alternative vision of both the process and result...

Debbie Allen: teacher's wisdom.(Interview)
February 1, 2006... Debbie Allen is a human vortex. Perhaps best known for appearing in the 1980 movie and television show Fame, and choreographing the latter, she is always on the run. In addition to traveling the world as the United States ambassador for...

Alexandra Rivero: this hip hop virtuoso is booking herself solid in MTV videos, commercials, and high profile tours.(On the Rise)(Biography)
February 1, 2006... With her baggy camouflage pants, and tan hoodie pulled up around her diamond-shaped eyes, hip hop dancer Alexandra Rivero blends into the crowd at an evening class at the Millenium Dance Complex in Los Angeles. The 20-year-old stakes out an...

Debut: Craig Salstein: finding his rhythm.(Interview)
February 1, 2006... The Champion Roper's tap solo in Rodeo reminds Craig Salstein of an aria. "Tap is so exposed, especially when there's no music," says the American Ballet Theatre corps member, who debuted in the 1942 Agnes de Mille ballet during the...

On Broadway: celebrating its 50th: the Public Theater Created a new kind of dance musical.
February 1, 2006... When you think about the preeminent figures in our musical theater, producers don't come to mind first. You might cite Florenz Ziegfeld, or George Abbott, or Harold Prince. Maybe David Merrick or Cameron Mackintosh. But the list is pretty thin,...

American Ballet Theatre.(Dance review)
February 1, 2006... AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE CITY CENTER, NEW YORK, NY OCTOBER 19-NOVEMBER 6, 2005 There is a moment in American Ballet Theatre's revival of Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies when Julie Kent, her face numb with grief, falls back into the cradle of...

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company.(Dance review)
February 1, 2006... LAR LUBOVITCH DANCE COMPANY SKIRBALL CENTER, NYU, NEW YORK, NY NOVEMBER 8-12, 2005 It's tempting to peg Lar Lubovitch's choreography as an overindulgence of beauty and lyricism. But consider it as you might an opera by Verdi. There are...

Ronald K. Brown/Evidence and Nnenna Freelon.(Blueprint of a Lady: The Once and Future Life of Billie Holiday)(Dance review)
February 1, 2006... RONALD K. BROWN/EVIDENCE AND NNENNA FREELON NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, NEWARK, NJ NOVEMBER 12-13, 2005 Collaborators Nnenna Freelon and Ronald K. Brown didn't want to memorialize Lady Day by recounting her painful history. Instead,...

Preview: Atlanta Ballet's "Madame Butterfly."(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... When choreographer Stanton Welch was a child, his father told him opera plotlines as bedtime stories. Above all, the story of Cio-Gio-San and her fatal love for Pinkerton sparked the passion of the future choreographer. In 1995, Welch...

Preview: Liz Lerman Dance Exchange's Ferocious Beauty: Genome.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Art and science collide powerfully in Ferocious Beauty: Genome. Artistic director Liz Lerman and her dancers have taken two years to immerse themselves in the science and ethics of the human genome--the microscopic building block of all human...

Preview: Richmond Ballet's Sleeping Beauty.(Malcolm Burn as the artistic associate)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Sleeping Beauty, with its complex loveliness and historical implications, serves as the choreographer's Mt. Everest. Richmond Ballet artistic associate Malcolm Burn, having studied the labyrinthine wanderings of the Beauty legend through...

Sybil Shearer, (1912-2005).(dancers)(designer)(Obituary)
February 1, 2006... Modern dance iconoclast Sybil Shearer died of a stroke last November in Evanston, Illinois. Agnes de Mille wrote of the young Sybil, "She had a point of view, passion, and talent, although how enormous this was I had no idea at the time." ...

Modeleine M. Nichols.(New York Public Library's employee)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Not all the stars of dance can be found onstage. Modeleine M. Nichols' star shone over the Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts for 25 years. From 1969-1977 Nichols headed the Jerome Robbins Film Archive, and...

Boston Ballet.(CROSSING BORDERS)(Tai Jimenez)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... In January 2006 Tai Jimenez joined Boston Ballet as a principal dancer. A former principal with Dance Theatre of Harlem and a veteran of Broadway, Jimenez will return to New York in April to present her choreography for the E-Moves series at...

Schools, studios, colleges, universities, companies, teachers, dancers, choreographers, somatic practices, movement arts, dance medicine, yoga.(Directory)
February 1, 2006... United States ALABAMA ALABAMA BALLET Wes Chapman, Artistic Director Alice Cox, Director of External Affairs 2726 1st Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233 (205) 322-4300; Fax (205) 322-4444 www.alabamaballet.org ALABAMA DANCE...

Gypsy bandits in Chicago.(DANCE FINDER)(Lyric Opera of Chicago's "Carmen")(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Members of the Chicago Festival Ballet will trade pointe shoes and tutus for character shoes and ruffled flamenco skirts when they perform in the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Carmen. Choreographing for the Lyric Opera is CFB artistic...

Attitudes.(New York Choreographic Institute)
February 1, 2006... Who taught Michelangelo how to paint the Sistine Chapel? Who gave Beethoven the craftsmanship to compose his last quartets? Who showed Robbins how to choreograph Fancy Free? The whole question of creativity and the teaching of the gentle art of...